I
started playing soccer in first grade and played through high school. Soccer became a varsity sport when I was a
high school junior and I started for two years at Lincoln Southeast High School
in Lincoln, Nebraska. I was also played
two seasons of select club soccer in high school.
I
attempted to get my first two daughters involved in soccer without
success. My first daughter just ran
around the field always making sure to stay at least ten feet away from the
ball. My second daughter ran off the
field crying and refused to participate ever again.
But
my youngest daughter, Avery, took to the game immediately. She loves to play and I love to support her
development.
1v1 Soccer – Inspiration
When my daughter Avery became passionate
about soccer at age eight, I first took an interest in coaching.
During
her U9 fall and spring seasons I helped out as an assistant coach and had a
great time. While helping out as an
assistant coach I started pursuing education and in 2012 received a United
States Soccer Federation Class E license.
My
plan at the time was to work my way into a head coaching position and continue
my education through additional licensing.
But something happened during the Class E licensing course which changed
my soccer trajectory.
During
a question/answer session with the teacher, the coaches began discussing
various ways of dealing with “parents”.
The tone of the conversation was generally negative – that parents were
a problem.
This
surprised me. As an educator with over
twenty years of teaching experience and a Masters in Curriculum &
Instruction, I have never viewed parents as a problem in any educational
environment – be it the classroom or athletics.
Given a smidge of education and direction, parents can be tremendous
assets.
That
moment inspired a new idea and a new passion.
Rather than coaching, I wanted to create a website for the motivated
parent that wants to work on soccer fundamentals with their child at home. Soon after, I made the decision to stop
coaching in order to dedicate all of my soccer free time to 1v1 Soccer.
1v1 Soccer - Creation
I hunted around for effective resources
and took a flyer on a splashy looking (but expensive) five DVD series calledSoccer University. The day it arrived I
watched the entire first DVD (2 hours) and was blown away. It was exactly what I was looking for. There is a great deal of poor instructional
material out there, but Soccer University is fantastic.
Since
receiving the DVD’s I have spent hours breaking down Soccer University (and
other) video and reorganizing the content to make it accessible to anyone. As a 10-hour DVD series it is
overwhelming. But I make it easy by
telling you exactly what, when, where, and how to do it.
Now
I am bringing all this work to you.
Teaching Experience
I
graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1994 with a Bachelor’s
degree in English and an endorsement to teach English in Grades 6-12. In 2004 I received a Master’s Degree in
Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
After
graduating from UNL I spent twelve years teaching 8th grade Language
Arts in three different middle schools.
Since 2005 I’ve worked as the Youth Program Director for a non-profit in
Lincoln, Nebraska.
1v1 Soccer – Legitimacy
Some
academies and coaches (not all) make parents feel like are clueless, or in the
way, or that you may harm your child if you work with them at home by teaching
them bad habits. Some soccer academy
coaches (not all) may suggest I am not qualified to coach or train soccer.
In
some ways, these concerns are reasonable.
If you are teaching your child incorrect technique then it will mess
them up, teach them bad habits, and make a coach’s job more difficult.
But
there is no reason for you to teach wrong fundamentals. If you get your hands on the right resources
– professional resources – not only will you be able to teach your child all
the moves an academy can, but in some ways can be even more effective. You can provide more one-on-one
instruction than they are able to, and you are more motivated than they may be to
see your child be succeed.
I
will admit soccer is a difficult game in which to become skilled in
technique. But it isn’t rocket
science. The Inside Cut and Outside Cut
are simple to learn, easy to teach, and will immediately improve the game of any
youth soccer player. The same is true
with most other techniques as well.
1v1 Soccer -
Goal
It
is not the intent of this site to criticize or undermine soccer academies and
clubs. There are some poor ones out there, but
many of them do good work. If you have
access to and can afford good academy instruction then you should absolutely
take advantage of it.
Rather,
this site is about additional training you can do at home. Becoming a skilled soccer player demands a significant
amount of additional work outside of formal practices and games. It demands effective instruction and many thousands
of touches on the ball. The additional
work you do with your child at home is a positive, not a negative.
This
site is also about being a resource for the large number of families who do not
have access to and/or cannot afford good instruction. You may live in a small town and have to
drive an hour or more for academy training.
Or you may have a soccer club in your area, but the training being
provided for your child is sorely lacking.
The
videos on this site I think speak for themselves. The
content on 1v1 Soccer has transformed my daughter’s soccer game and enabled her
to compete at a high level despite not being a superior athlete or a year-round
player.
I
am confident this site can do the same for you.
On a final note, the drills on this
site have created precious daddy-daughter time.
Whether that contributes to the legitimacy of this site is debatable,
but I can think of few things in life more valuable.
1v1 Soccer - Side Project
Running
1v1 Soccer is a project I do in my spare time.
I work full-time as a Youth Program Director for a non-profit, am a
husband and father, and have a lot going on as many people do.
I
recognize 1v1 Soccer has many elements which could be improved. I wish I had the time to make this site
(including my videos) completely polished.
Unfortunately, my time is limited so all I can do is my best.
What
I have tried to do is create a site that is functional, well organized, and where
you can quickly find what you need. I am
hopeful you will find 1v1 Soccer unique, with usable content you can’t find anywhere
else.
Hopefully
you will enjoy this site as much as Avery and I have had fun creating it.
Welcome
to 1v1 Soccer!
Help
your child win the 1v1 soccer battle!
Todd Bowman
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